Having two parents in rock bands, my childhood was full of live music. Between sitting in on rehearsals when my parents couldn't find a sitter or watching gigs when they, fortunately, did not occur in a bar, I was always listening to people play. Sadly, as I grew older I was allowed to stay home when my parents had rehearsal and still wasn't allowed in bars. Slowly, I wasn't seeing live music ever because I got too busy. I hadn't lost my appreciation but I certainly did lose opportunities to experience it.

That was, until last Saturday night when I intended a young musicians showcase in Winter Haven. They had several young people ranging from 13 to 19 years old sharing their love of music. Some were simply vocalists while others played the guitar or piano while they sang. They even had a full band made up of middle schoolers! As I sat there swaying and jamming to the music these people were sharing with me, I realized how much I missed live music.

There's just something about a person standing on stage willing to share their art with me. I love listening to recordings of music, in fact, I'm rarely ever seen without an earbud in. However, seeing someone perform live is much more humanizing. When you have a recording of a person singing a song, it is really easy to subconsciously forget that it's a human singing. I know that sounds weird, but honestly, hearing the exact same version of a song every time you hear it removes the human nature of it. Watching it be performed on stage brings that humanity back. Suddenly that song you've heard a million times is new again. Maybe the singer messes up some of the words. Maybe the guitarist plays a completely different solo. Maybe the singer makes different riffs than the ones in the recording.

These changes are especially noticeable in situations where a band/artist is covering a song by another artist. Suddenly the song is coming from a voice with a completely different sound, and that's bound to change the way you've heard it before. I think these performances are some of the most important. As an amateur singer who can't write music, I identify a lot with artists like these. It's honestly really hard to get up there and give your interpretation of a song that everyone in the audience already knows. You have to meet the expectations everyone has of the song while also making sure that they recognize your achievement in singing it.

If you haven't been to a concert recently, please go. Even if it's just an open mic night at a local cafe, getting out and supporting someone's attempt at sharing art is incredibly important. What they are doing is very brave and they deserve to be recognized for their efforts. And who knows, you might even discover your new favorite artist.